If you're heading out the door to get on the road this Thanksgiving holiday, you might want to know when is the most dangerous time to drive in Florida.
Florida Highway Patrol crash data shows that in 2016 there were 406 crashes across the state on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, most crashes happen right around the 6 p.m. hour.
Not only are people still getting out of work and trying to head home and pack up if they are leaving town, there are also people entertaining family members from out of town. Dalila Diaz said since her family is in town visiting her in Miami for Thanksgiving, she decided to take a trip with her family up to Lion Country Safari.
"Today we're trying to do our traveling, all the little last minute details, spend some quality time with my aunt and my daughters. Just, enjoying the day you know, it's a beautiful day in Florida and everybody else is freezing, there's snow. We're just enjoying our temperature so that's the plan for today," said Diaz.
FHP crash data indicates that more crashes happen on Interstate 95 than on Florida's Turnpike during the five-day Thanksgiving travel period. For that reason, Troopers will be highly visible in the next few days to prevent crashes.
The data does not suggest you're not at risk of a crash if you take the Turnpike, generally your chances of becoming a victim of a crash depends on what time you get on the road.
Drivers are least likely to get into an accident on Florida highways between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving, the safest time to drive is in the early morning, after 8 a.m. crashes spiked last Thanksgiving, with the peak time of crashes again being 6 p.m.
Wednesday and Sunday are the days when FHP responded to the most crashes. If you have to travel on Sunday, the safest time to travel is in the early morning hours before 6 a.m. or later on between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
For the latest information on crashes on Florida highways, call 511 or go to FL511.com